Merrill was a graduate of Rutgers College, New Brunswick, New Jersey (BA 1887, MA 1890), and Union The­o­lo­gi­cal Sem­in­a­ry, New York City (BD 1890). He pastored at Pres­by­ter­i­an churches in Phil­a­del­phia, Penn­syl­van­ia, and Chi­ca­go, Il­li­nois, and at the Brick Pres­by­ter­i­an Church in New York City (1911–38). His works in­clude: